Well here it is, January 1st, 2015, and we somehow managed to survive another year, with the country actually better off than it was a year ago. This in spite of Republican prognostications to the contrary. In fact, Republicans have been wrong about pretty much everything in 2014. Follow below the perasquiggle for some highlights.
1. Let's start with the ACA (aka Obamacare).
A. Enrollment will be very low and of those who do sign up not many will actually pay--wrong and wrong. Well over 7 million signed up through the exchanges and above 85% paid.
B. More people will lose health insurance than gain it--wrong. 10 million people now have health coverage and the percentage of uninsured in America is lowest on record, down from 18% to 13% in less than a year.
C. Young People will not sign up--wrong. The "Young Invincibles," which were targeted by the Obama Administration for enrollment in health care, still lag behind other age groups, but the number continued to fall from about 30% to 24%.
D. Obamacare will cause healthcare costs to skyrocket--wrong. "In reality, premiums were far less than predicted, overall health spending is moderating, and specific cost-control measures are doing very well. And all indications suggest that year two will be marked by further success." A 2014 Kaiser survey found that nearly half (46 percent) of those who previously bought non-group insurance and switched to a subsidized, ACA-compliant plan said their current premium is lower than it was under their previous plan, while four in 10 (39 percent) say it is higher.
2. The Ebola epidemic before the midterms.
Ebola was going to spread like wildfire in the U.S. because the Obama Administration was allowing illegal immigrant drug gangs to bring the disease over the border, refusing to enforce travel bans and close airports--wrong.
As it turned out Ebola was limited to less than a half-dozen people in the U.S. and only one person died and we haven't heard about it since. Republican hype actually highlighted the fact that the CDC was a very competent government entity and that the country needed the Surgeon General whose nomination was being blocked by the NRA and the GOP.
3. Obama's economic policies.
Obama's policies on the economy and energy were job killers--wrong. The economy has improved dramatically, especially for the wealthy who tend to complain the most. Private sector jobs are increasing, the stock market has ended up for the last six years, gas prices were down in December to about $2.70/gal and AAA predicts prices in some states below $2.00/gal in coming weeks, and last quarter the economy showed the fastest growth in a decade. "Forbes magazine even had the audacity to say that Obama's economy out-performed that of the GOPs lord and savior, the great Ronald Reagan. Not bad for a Muslim-Nazi-business-hating communist." http://time.com/...
4. Minimum wage.
Raising the minimum wage was going to be, of course, a job killer--wrong. A review of 64 studies on minimum wage increases found no discernable effect on employment. Additionally, more than 600 economists, seven of them Nobel Prize winners in economics, have signed onto a letter in support of raising the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016. In fact, a Goldman Sacs analysis found that of the 13 states whose minimum wage went up on Jan 1st, 2014, had faster employment growth than the states where the minimum wage remained at its 2013 level.
5. Marriage Equality.
Allowing same sex couples to marry was at the least going to destroy "traditional" heterosexual marriage and probably going to lead to bestiality--wrong. The Supreme Court overturned California's Prop 8 and Same Sex marriage is now legal in 35 states. So far there do not seem to be any restrictions placed on heterosexual couples wishing to marry or divorce and bestiality does not seem to be on the rise.
http://www.usnews.com/...
6. Legalization of Marijuana.
Legalizing Marijuana was going to lead drug cartels taking over and an increase in fatal auto accidents--wrong. Actually Marijuana has been legalized for full use in two states and medical use in others and no cartels have taken over Midwestern towns -- in fact, drug cartels are out billions of dollars as a result. Also, roadway fatalities this year are down from last year, and down from the 13-year average. Of the seven months so far this year, five months saw a lower fatality figure this year than last, two months saw a slightly higher figure this year, and in one month the two figures were equal.
So Republicans have been wrong about pretty much everything in 2014, that doesn't stop them from acting like they have been right. Despite such a dismal track record, they continue to speak with such bluster and confidence that the uninformed electorate and even worse, the misinformed Fox News audience continues to be duped into voting against their own self interests. With the GOP now firmly in control of both chambers of Congress the only thing standing in the way of a complete takeover is Obama's veto power. Let's hope he has a two year supply of presidential ink at the ready.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/...
http://www.politifact.com/...
http://time.com/...
http://www.dol.gov/...
http://www.cepr.net/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...